


Umbrellas and Rain

by TheGoliathBeetle



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Family, Fluff, Funny, Gen, Historical, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-06
Updated: 2016-06-06
Packaged: 2018-07-12 16:52:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7114318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGoliathBeetle/pseuds/TheGoliathBeetle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's a good thing Matthew got him this thick scarf for Christmas, Francis has been needing something tough to protect him from the wind." A 50 sentence challenge for Matthew and Francis and their adorable father-son relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Umbrellas and Rain

**Comfort**

Francis always gives little Matthew his extra pillow, he knows Mattie likes to snuggle with it when he sleeps.

**Kiss**

Matthew loves it when his Papa comes to visit him, twirling him in his arms and kissing both his cheeks.

**Soft**

His Papa thinks he's a bit mad, but Matthew likes sinking his hands into the soft white power; sure, it's cold, but to him, snow also feels like love.

**Pain**

Francis wakes up at night sometimes to dull aches from bygone wars.

**Potatoes**

Francis ate without complaining because this was a war, but La Soupe was a culinary disaster, and what were those strange, unseasoned vegetables – suspicious potatoes?

**Rain**

Paris is always the prettiest when it rains, and Matthew is always the happiest when he and Papa share an umbrella.

**Chocolate**

Clinking cups of hot chocolate together, they read the morning paper.

**Happiness**

Matthew is _so_ drunk, that's probably why he find's Francis's alcohol-induced crooning so hilarious.

**Telephone**

Francis has this secret fear that one day, his grown-up Matthew will simply stop calling.

**Ears**

Covering his ears, Matthew chants, "Lalalala – I'm not listening!" as his father praises the different flavours of condoms in the modern age.

**Name**

From 'New France' to 'Canada': it's been quite a journey.

**Sensual**

His Papa always smells of roses, coffee, and lemon shower gel.

**Death**

"Death is inevitable for people and nations, I do not fear it – all I want, Matthew, is a life well lived: that's why I need art."

**Sex**

It sort of creeps Matthew out that his father has a more exciting sex life than he does.

**Touch**

He's furious when his Papa gives him up to England, he can't even bring himself to hug the man goodbye.

**Weakness**

His quiet son is a lot tougher than he is; Canada fought both was ferociously, but France doesn't think he's quite as strong.

**Tears**

Francis blows into another tissue just as Matthew walks into the room, groaning, "Papa, are you watching Titanic _again_?"

**Speed**

It's like the Allied ships can't reach fast enough, and each minute lost is a another minute of hell for his Papa.

**Wind**

It's a good thing Matthew got him this thick scarf for Christmas, Francis has been needing something tough to protect him from the wind.

**Freedom**

They're countries, they've had multiple types of freedoms, but nothing political can compare to sending Mattie a cat video at 3.40 am through Facebook Messenger, and having his son reply with: _omg papa go to sleep! but that's a cute kitten, does she have blue eyes?_

**Life**

A deep breath, in, out; the Germans have ruined everything, but Francis can still feel himself breathe.

**Jealousy**

"Are you eating scones?" Francis cries when he walks into the scene, "no, don't deny it! Go ahead and eat that English couch stuffing, see if I care!"

**Hands**

When he was young, Mattie had unscathed, soft hands; now, his palms are littered with callouses from the 20th century, and it breaks Francis's heart.

**Taste**

"Papa, stop being so stuck up and just have a little taste, I promise you'll like poutine!"

**Devotion**

It's quite stirring to watch Papa paint.

**Forever**

Sometimes Matthew wishes they weren't all doomed to immortality, sometimes Francis wishes he wasn't a nation decaying at a snail's pace.

**Blood**

Matthew shoots down any German in sight, because tonight he's going to bathe in blood, and he loves it.

**Sickness**

The first time little Mattie falls ill, Francis nearly has a panic attack.

**Melody**

"Hear that screaming, Francis?" he asks himself, "that is the sound of a revolution."

**Star**

There are no stars tonight, just ash falling from a bombed-out sky in a place called Ypres.

**Home**

Francis doesn't ask when he opens the door to see a crumpled looking Mathew standing with his arms crossed protectively over his chest; he just lets the boy in.

**Confusion**

"I'm always confused about which one of you two is older," Francis once confessed, to which Matthew just shrugged and said that well, he acted older.

**Fear – (Part I)**

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Matthew," Francis says warmly against the din of the storm outside, to which his son raises both eyebrows and gives his father a vaguely condescending look.

**Thunder/Lightning – (Part II)**

An electric white sword rips through the night sky, the clouds roar in fury, and Francis yelps a little; Matthew starts to laugh.

**Bonds**

When Francis sat Matthew down to talk to him about the importance of bonds, Matthew replied with, "capitalist or James?"

**Market**

"I'm never going grocery shopping with you again," Matthew snapped as his father eulogised about the perfect shape for a strawberry for twenty-five minutes.

**Technology**

"What is this Instant Gram?" Francis asked, "does it help you with measurements – why are you laughing?"

**Gift**

"Happy birthday, Papa! Since I know you like to bake, I bought you all the ingredients to bake me a fabulous cake!"

**Smile**

Francis loves it when Matthew grins like that, like he's thought of something funny and vicious and is enjoying it all on his own.

**Innocence**

Matthew hit Francis in the face with a snowball, dropping those boring EU memos from his hands.

**Completion**

After this war is over, they'll be happy again, Matthew just knows it.

**Clouds**

The weather closer to D-Day makes Matthew a little nervous.

**Sky**

Francis doesn't dare stare at the sky, because it's the 1940s and the sky brings death.

**Heaven**

Matthew doesn't care what they're laughing about, it just feels so good.

**Hell**

"Alfred!" Francis calls from a distance, and Matthew's heart just shatters.

**Sun**

It's one of those 'stay in and drink lemonade' days, except his Papa is drinking wine instead.

**Moon**

Sometimes Francis can't differentiate between dreams and reality, and sometimes he's thankful for that.

**Waves**

Matthew's hands are shaking as the little boats of Dunkirk, like the one he's on, abandon his Papa.

**Hair**

He just loves ruffling Matthew's hair, even though they're both adults now and Matt no longer thinks it's funny.

**Supernova**

It's like a supernova exploding in Francis's chest when he sees Matthew after what feels like years: "Papa, hey, are you okay?"

**Author's Note:**

> Historical Notes:
> 
> French WWI rations contained Ratatouille, which is a vegetable stew (and a beloved animated movie, but that's irrelevant here). Being army rations, "La Soupe" as it was called, was watery and tasteless and "it never came closer than stewed unseasoned vegetables in thin broth, bulked up with what Henri Barbusse described in his classic 1916 essay Le feu as suspicious potatoes".
> 
> Also, if I remember what I read, the weather around D-Day was pretty rainy and worrisome.
> 
> The last one, "Supernova" references World War II as well. "Waves" is about the escape from Dunkirk.
> 
> And "Moon" is because I read this symbolism of the moon thing that said "(the moon) is the middle ground between the light of the sun and the darkness of night, and thus often represents the realm between the conscious and the unconscious."


End file.
